The Little Things
by Dobi Boushi
Summary: It's the little things in life that make us who we are, from conversations with friends to confessions of love or simply getting drunk. Collection of random one-shots at various moments in time with numerous characters/themes. Uploaded: Nakama, Right?
1. Food for Thought

**Before we begin I would like to give a quick shout out to my friend, Beans aka Stabberz. Who won the bet he and I had and as his prize, this one-shot is dedicated to him. So, I hope you enjoy, Beans~**

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Brooding. By definition it means that one is caught somewhere between sulking and being deep in thought, it was the probably one of the few terms, if not the only one, know to either Shinigami or man that could describe Soifon, Captain of the Second Division, at that moment in time. The petite, black haired women was perched atop a large piece of rubble in what remained of the replica of Karakura Town. The war was finally over; Aizen had been defeated.

Now, without a task or some sort of goal to occupy herself with, Soifon was left to stare out at the sunrise. Her grey eyes narrowed, glaring at nothing in particular, just something, anything would do really. Despite the illusion of appearing angry, she wasn't. She just didn't know what to do with herself. It frustrated her. Her left arm was gone, now but a mere stump, numerous other injuries plagued her body, yet she couldn't find it in herself to feel any pain -any weakness- she was use to it after all. It was part of who she was these days.

Soifon doubted the Gotei Thirteen would allow a women with a single arm to continue to serve as Captain. She'd be lucky if they allowed a one armed women to continue to serve, full stop. But, in retrospect, she was lucky to still be alive, from what she had heard, the Captain-Commander was dead, as were the Vice-Captains of Fifth and Seventh, their names having escaped her. Hitsugaya Tõshirõ and Ukitake Jûshirõ were also in critical condition, the former having lost his own left arm and a good chunk of his left leg to Aizen himself, whilst the latter had been punched through the chest by one of the Arrancar. One of the Visored fighters, the small angry girl, who'd been cut in half by Ichimaru Gin, was also barely alive. She was currently unaware of the traitor's fate.

But, despite herself, she couldn't help but wonder if everything would be better in the end if she were in fact dead. But she shrugged it off, she wasn't that kind of person. She never had been.

_Everything's a complete mess… _she sighed, staring out at the pale oranges, her piece of rubble being surprisingly more comfortable than what she would have thought. _What do I do now…? My entire life has about be dedicating my life to serve something; Soul Society, the Gotei Thirteen, Yoruichi-sama… _

"You know," a slightly mocking voice sang from not to far away. "Of all the places I expected to find you, I wouldn't have thought it'd be sitting among the rubble," a soft chuckle echoed from her right. Her brow furrowed on reaction, her one remaining fist clenching tight enough to draw blood. But with a forced breath of calm, she returned the barb in a level voice.

"I thought it was ironic," she muttered not taking her eyes off the sky, ignoring the man as he sat down on the ground next to her. "What better way to reflect on the destruction of my own life than to muse on a deserted battlefield."

"Come now, Soifon-san, why so glum?" The women in question turned her head to glare at the platinum blond on her right, repressing a snarl. The man annoyed her to no end, form his flamboyant, carefree manner all the way down to the tiniest little details; like his unshaved, stubble covered chin. But despite the jovial tone in his voice, his goofy bucket hat and fan appeared to be absent for once.

"What do _you _want, _Urahara Kisuke_," Soifon spat out the mans names as though it was some piece of rancid food someone has forced down her throat, attempting to choke her. If she could, she would have folded her arms in defiance of the man and turned away, eyes barely even slits. But as things stood, she could but only turn away from him.

"Me? What do _I _want~?" And just like that he whipped out his famous fan, holding in front of his face, a thoughtful look having be conjured from nowhere. The pair sat in heavy silence as Urahara thought about an answer which he could give the Captain of the Second Division, his eyes fixed on the short women, peeking over the edge of his plain-old-fan.

"I want many things," he chimed in eventually, causing Soifon to snort in disgust. _Can this man ever act serious? People are _dead _after all, can he not take the time to mourn them? _But was she really any better, a voice in her head asked her. A few moment ago she'd been more concerned about what would happen to _her _more than the loss of life. "I'd like to be able to return to my little shop and go back to business as usual, I'd like to be able to see Jinta and Ururu grow up and become the fine young people I know they'll be. But most of all, I'd like to hold the women that means more than life itself in my arms and tell her how much I love her. But I can't do any of that, not yet anyway."

Despite being mostly hidden, behind his fan, Urahara never failed to catch Soifon clench her fist once more. She was never stupid, far from it, she knew quite well who he was referring. Shihõin Yoruichi, she was the one thing that pair of them had ever had in common.

"And why not?" The Second Division Captain demanded of the Captain-turned-shop-keeper. But despite her question, she had no desires for this conversation to go any further. A point she felt she had to make clear; "Actually, I don't care. So I think you should save yourself a few broken bones and everyone some trouble and just leave, now."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Soifon-san," she rolled her eyes at his comment. _Of course he wouldn't go away _that _easily, he's like a damn disease after all. _"Not until you answer my question," Soifon turned to look at him, her expression bored, there was no possible question that he could have come up with that she would give him a real answer for. "Why do you hate me, Soifon-san?"

Or maybe there was.

"Why ask questions to the which you already have the answers to, Urahara?" Her own question gained a laugh from the shop-keeper, a wiry grin on his face. She had no idea why her words had amused him, but Soifon assumed it had something to do with her answer. It did sound something more like her companion would say, the wannabe-wise-old-sage line.

"It's just that with the war over, and Yoruichi and myself pardoned, there's a good chance we could be seeing much more of each other," _What does that have to do with anything? _"And I would like it if we could at least be civil with one another. If not for our sake, then Yoruichi's. She would very much like to be your friend again."

Silence fallowed his statement. It was heavy, like a tone of lead being pushed down on them which they had to work together as a team in order to avoid being crushed by. It just didn't look like one of them was very fond of that idea in the least. After a while Urahara released a exaggerated sigh.

"I never asked her to fallow me, you know?" Soifon turned to look at the blond, a puzzled look having captured her features like a high level Bakudõ. _What the hell does he mean by that? _"It was Yoruichi's choice to go into exile with me, I never wanted her to come. Without even releasing it until it was to late, I pretty much destroyed her entire life. And not just hers, either."

That was her queue to let it all out.

"You took her away from me!" Soifon spat back, what kind of petty excuses was that? "The one person I had left. That's what Yoruichi was! The one person who ever believed in me, encouraged me to be better, stood by me. She was the only family I had damn it! She was like my mother and you took her away from me!"

"Not by choice," Urahara stated, he looked genuinely saddened by the whole conversation. It was almost as if he was remembering things he'd rather not, but that was part of the price of living for so long; it was hard to forget. "I never told Yoruichi, but she ended up making me hate myself for a very long time. And not for the first time either, but that's an other story."

_Say what now? _

"For years, I had to live with the fact that that if I had made some kind of objection, had I made an effort to talk some sense into her, she never would have had to give up everything she had. Just for me." To her genuine horror, Urahara Kisuke actually looked _guilty_, maybe he had know how much his actions, or lack of, had affected so many others. "And deep down, I knew a lot of people would be affected by my lack of action, but I can't control what is in my heart, nor can I control what is in hers."

"And you think that makes everything all better now, do you?" Soifon demanded of the now silent Shinigami, who's eyes would not look at her, instead they were fixed on an spot on the ground. She couldn't help but fix him with a look of disgust. "You honestly believe apologizing and telling me all this will make it all better? You're pathetic, Urahara."

"No," he muttered after a moments pause. Before he looked up, turning to look her in the eye. "I'm telling you this so you understand why Yoruichi left you behind." Soifon couldn't help it, her eyes widened at the statement. _Is he being serious here? _"Take it from someone who knows, Soifon-san. Living with yourself, learning to deal with the shame of ruining the life of someone you care about, trying to look at yourself in the mirror, it kills you from the inside out.

"Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me you would have been glad Yoruichi took you with her, if it meant putting her through all that?" Urahara's tone was unusually low, serious even. His grey eyes hard and unblinking. His question catching the small women completely off guard.

"I…" Soifon couldn't do it, her voice had abandoned her. Leaving her with not but a heavy lump of lead in her throat, it made her feel sick. It made her feel _dirty_. Urahara's gaze however had softened, a wistful smile gracing his lips that he would use when comforting the likes of Ururu or watching Hiyori as she beat Shinji senseless for whatever reason.

The shop-keeper rose to his feet, brushing off his ruined clothing, slipping his fan back into its hiding place up his sleeve. He gave Soifon a soft, reassuring pat on the shoulder, which she shrugged off; "It's alright, Soifon-san," he told her, making to leave. "I honestly didn't expect you to give me a real answer. Not yet, anyway."

"Why… why are you telling me this, Urahara?" She croaked out, unable to manage anything else. The blond looked back over his shoulder and simply gave her an over cheesy grin.

"Food for thought, is all, Soifon-san," and with that, Urahara Kisuke was gone.

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**Tha-tha-that's all folks! Hope you enjoyed the little bout of randomness which is this one-shot, what inspired me to write this? Even I don't know that one. Feed back of all kind is most welcome, I'll take what I can get as I ain't picky. Keep an eye on this if enjoyed the one-shot as I plan on doing a few more one-shots in the future. Until then, Dobby-san bids you all farewell~ **


	2. Power to Strive

**And it's one-shot number two! Enjoy folks~**

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His neon blue eye fluttered open, only to find endless stretches of dessert, _I fuckin' hate sand… _he thought to himself, realizing he was still lying in a pool of his own blood, Nnoitra having blind-sided him. _Imma make that spoon-head regret the day he ever became an Arrancar for that one… _but he was in no state to do anything at that moment, he was a mess and felt like utter shit after all.

His clothes were ruined, ripped to shreds, what little material was left of his Arrancar jacket was hanging off his broad shoulders, his _hakama _was ripped in several places, in complete tatters. His neon blue hair had fallen out of its spiked style, hanging all over the place and getting in his eyes, more so than usual anyway.

Around him there was nothing but sand and rubble, reminders of his clash with orange-haired-punk-kid; Kurosaki Ichigo. Reminders of his failure. _Che, damn kid left me alive… and he _saved _my ass. Fuck, _he wanted to bang his head of something at that moment. _Great! Now I fuckin' owe that little shit…_

He let out a low sigh, staring up at the fake sky, which was in fact the Las Noches dome ceiling. He was too exhausted to move, not surprising since he felt like shit. _Right, game plan; I get the fuck outta here and get healed. Then I find the kid and repay the favour and save his ass before I beat the shit outta him. It's fool proof! _He smirked at his own plan, but realised something, _Do I really have the patience to pull all that crap off? Na… _

"You look like shit." If he'd been one to laugh, he might have laughed at that. It sure was a honestly blunt greeting. But as it were, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez couldn't find it in himself to do anything other than snort in disgust. He was in no mood for conversation. Regardless of who with.

"Fuck off, _Shark-sama_, I'm thinking," Grimmjow fired back, he knew who it was without even looking.

"And yet we're all still here, strange…" the _Tercera _Espada chuckled, looming over the motionless form of Grimmjow, despite being a good seven inches shorter than him. In response to her comment, Grimmjow's eyes snapped open once more.

"You deaf or somethin'?" Grimmjow snarled, looking up at the women above him, her arms were crossed beneath her large breasts, pale emerald eyes fixed on him. "I told you too fuck off, women!" He bellowed up at her, he didn't need her pity _or_ her help; weren't they both the same thing in the end? After all, he was Grimmjow, the _Sexta _Espada, he didn't need anyone or anything damn it!

"Do you really want to try and back up your words in your current state?" Grimmjow made to snap back at her, but his mouth just hung open, locked in place. _Ah fuck… _he finally managed to close his mouth, scowling when he realised she had a point. _Even in my release state at full strength she'd still kick my ass from here to the Seireitei. She wasn't a Vasto Lorde nothin'._

"I thought not." Harribel stated from behind the high collar of her modified Arrancar jacket, moving away from Grimmjow's body to lean against a near by piece of destroyed rock. She watched on, with a slight hint of interest, as Grimmjow struggled to get himself into a sitting position.

They both ignored the sounds of battle from not to far off. The only female Espada crocked an eyebrow in slight amusement as she watched the _Sexta _Espada take long, laboured breaths. Clearly he was in worse shape that he would care to admit. Thanks to Nnoitra, no doubt.

After a while Grimmjow leered at her, clearly annoyed that she hadn't left yet. "What the fuck you still doin' here?" He demanded of her, his neon blue eyes glaring at her placid, pale green ones. In response, Harribel merely shrugged, she didn't honestly know nor did she care, it was better than sitting around waiting to head to Karakura anyway. "Don't give me that bullshit!"

"Your should really learn to control that temper of your's, Grimmjow," Harribel observed in a serious manner, gesturing around her for emphasis. "One day it will get you into even bigger trouble than today. Then what?"

"I don't need to control my anger, _Shark-sama_!" Grimmjow spat, literally at her feet, voice laced with irritation. "I just need people to stop pissin' me the fuck off, is all!"

Silence.

She just stared at him. Smirking behind her high collar, unknown to Grimmjow, as she watched his brow begin to twitch in annoyance. It was fun to wind him up, her quiet and level headed nature contrasted greatly with his overly loud and cocky attitude, it made for some interesting entertainment, at least for Harribel. With a slight shake of her head, she began a mental countdown, tapping a finger off her arm with each passing second.

"Ah for fuck sake, women, say somethin'!"

"Why?" Grimmjow did a double take, _Is she being fuckin' serious here? What kind of question is that; why? _"Why do you always need to be doing something, Grimmjow? Why must you always look for something to distract you; why must you always be fighting?"

"It's fun! Why the fuck else?" _What a fuckin' retarded question… _but a voice in the back of his head disagreed with him; who are you trying to convince here; you or her? It would ask him, and usually he would ignore it, like he did all the other voices; the screams, the pleas for mercy from his time as a Hollow or even the images, the images of a life he didn't recognise, of a time when people had thought he had been a good man.

"Don't lie to me." Had any of the Espada known what an ordinary sense of humour was suppose to be, the look on Grimmjow's face would have provided a good laugh for everyone. _'Don't lie to me' she says, what the fuck does she know? _"I can tell by your body language, Grimmjow, every time I see you when you aren't fighting, when you aren't doing something to distract yourself, you get shifty, you mutter to yourself. I've heard you scream in your sleep a few times, even. You remember, don't you?"

… _Apparently a lot, _Grimmjow scowled. What _fucking _right did she have to be watching him, he wasn't her Fraccíon, he didn't need a babysitter! _I don't need anyone. _Keep telling yourself that, the voice chimed, louder than ever in the back of his mind. It was driving him insane.

"What do _you_ care, Harribel?" He sneered at her, trying to drag himself upright and walk away.

"Because I remember too,"

"Then why aren't you out there fightin'?" Grimmjow roared at her, glaring with all his might. "It's the only fuckin' way to stop those damn voices, otherwise they never shut the hell up! The power keeps 'em quiet, it helps me strive forward because it means I don't have to worry about those fuckin' flashes, those people who I know I should know, but I don't! I need the power to strive forward!"

"There are other ways to keep the voices quite, but maybe you shouldn't be ignoring them," Harribel murmured, thinking of the own things she saw in her dreams, the voices in _her _head. There was a blond haired man holding her, at least, she thought it was her, smiling for all he was worth, gazing down at her with love filled steel grey eyes. She liked to think of the man as her father, that he had cared for her; loved her. Then there was the dark skinned women; her mother, at least she thought she was, smiling just as happily, feeding her, kissing her on the head, choosing her name; _Tia. _

"Those memories are part of you, Grimmjow, accept them for what they are," she continued shaking herself out of her thoughts, pushing off the rock. It was almost time. "Maybe if you can remember the good times in those memories and try to recreate them, maybe that will keep them quite. Because it shows that the person they belong to is still in there."

"Wow…" Grimmjow whistled, looking at her with a slight smirk. "I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much in the space of a few minutes. It must be a personal record for you." Harribel merely rolled her eyes, trust Grimmjow to ignore her, now of all times.

"Fine," Harribel shrugged, making to walk off, if Grimmjow wasn't going to take this seriously, then why should she even bother? It wasn't like they were friends or anything; comrades in cause yes, but not friends.

They were too different for that, at total opposite ends of the scale. But that was what allowed her to put up with him, he brought a different edge to her life, a new level to it even. One she'd never bothered to explore, the outgoing and impulsive side that could actually _amuse _her. Her, the Shark Empresses, amused by the some mere panther and his antics, the whole thing in itself was totally laughable.

"Hey, Tia," Grimmjow called out after her, stunning her. Never before had she heard Grimmjow call her by her given name, she'd always been; Three or Shark-Sama, maybe even Harribel if he was in one of his better moods. But never Tia. "What if I don't like the guy in the flashes, the guy the voices keep telling me I should be?"

"That's something you can't help, Grimmjow," she called back, tone placid and even, just like always. "Because at some point, whether it's now, or in a hundred years from now, that's who you'll end up being. It's the only way to get the voices to truly to stop."

"Right…" Grimmjow's tone was sardonic, but his face anything but. "Hey, Shark-sama, do me a favour will you?" There was that damn nickname again, but it didn't have the usual topping of sarcasm, it was said with something else instead. Something the _Trecera _Espada didn't recognise. In response, Harribel merely looked over her shoulder at the weaker Arrancar, waiting for him to continue. "Make sure not to die in Karakura; you're not half bad… for a shark, anyway."

Tia Harribel merely nodded, disappearing in a burst of Sonído. Leaving Grimmjow along with the voices in his head, and for the first time in a long time, he actually tried to listen to what they had to say to him. Almost as if he was enjoying their company.

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**Interpret as you wish, I guess you can see it as a slight shippy one-shot, which being a GrimmHarribel fan is what I myself had in mind when I wrote this, but if you'd rather think of it as a mere friendship thing, that works just as well I guess, it's up to you see how you want. **

**Little shout out Ability King KK, who brought the idea of these two as a couple to my attention and made me think about how interesting their interaction could be, this one-shot is for you dude. **

**But just so we're clear, Grimmjow only reckons he owes Ichigo because the latter saved his life, which I guess comes from the fact that Grimmjow considered he owed Orihime one after she restored his arm. That's all. He just reckons he's in debt to our orange haired hero, nothing more. **

**Other than that, nothing to say, just keep an eye for the next one and until then, Dobby-san bids you all farewell~!**


	3. Heart

**And it's one shot number three! Enjoy, people~**

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Emotions. Such things had never interested him, why should they in the first place? They were for _trash_ after all; they only weighed down a person with needless restraints, with limits. They were the heart of all things. Ulquiorra Cifer, the _Cuatro_ Espada had never had a heart, so why did he need emotions? They were about as useful to him as those Shinigami spells; Kidõ. It just didn't work.

Or so he had thought, because recently, even if he hadn't realised it at first, he'd begun to gain interest in these things called emotions, this so called _heart_. What did it mean to truly feel? He couldn't help but wonder, now at the end of it all, that's just who he was. He couldn't stop himself from looking back and mulling over the wide range of emotions and feelings he had been exposed to, maybe even felt himself, if he was unlucky enough.

One of the more dominate ones that sprang to mind was pride, quickly fallowed by desire. The Visored boy, Kurosaki, had shown he felt both of those on many occasions, even if he hadn't realised it. His pride and refusal to win an unfair fight was what had led to Ulquiorra's current predicament; '_If we're ending this once and for all, then we're doing it as equals_' were his exact words, if the Espada recalled correctly. After all, it was his desire to protect those close to him that had driven him to that strange pseudo-Hollow form. And when he'd realised what the beast within had done, he'd wanted a fair fight, to fight with dignity.

Ulquiorra had been strangely accepting of the idea, the concept of honour had peaked his interest. This desire to beat the odds, to prove oneself in the face of defeat. But he would never get that chance, not now as he faded into dust; into nothingness.

_Ironic, _he mused turning to look at a flabbergasted Kurosaki, covered in sweat, scars and bruises. _For decades I have thought myself empty of all things I didn't need, nor want, I even tried to make it so. I sank so far into the emptiness I gained something all the other Espada lacked, a second _Resurrección… Segunda Etapa, _the second form_. But it had all been in vain in the end, even now, in his final moments, he felt something; he felt sadness, regret, but above all, fear. _For now I shall be truly empty, for I will be the nothingness itself… _

"…Tch." Ulquiorra muttered as his degeneration began to pick up in speed. "…So this is it?" He asked Kurosaki in that uncaring tone of his. Had things been different, had _he _been different the _Cuatro _Espada might have found it in himself to laugh at the stupidity of his question. Of course this was it; the end. He could vaguely catch a few of the words he spoke after that point, something about wanting Kurosaki to kill him before he could completely fade away.

But the boy refused, not that he should have been surprised, really.

"You expect me to win like this?" _How very selfish of you, Kurosaki… _Ulquiorra could have sighed. Even now, when he finally understood what it meant to feel pain, despite not showing it, Kurosaki couldn't even bring himself to help him end it, to release him from this feeling, to put a stop to his suffering. Even if he didn't realise it, he was making it all about him. _He could never do it, though, _the Espada told himself. Even in a fair fight the Visored didn't have it in him to kill someone else. His eyes said that much about him.

"Right to the end…" Ulquiorra muttered to himself, "You never do what I think you will…" humans had always puzzled him, some more than others. One in particular he could not drive from his thoughts, her talk of the heart had made an impression on him, her talk of love and friendship had nagged at him. Thoughts of such things had snuck into the darkest corners of his mind, eating at him as he slept. "… In the end, I think I actually had some interest in you people." _You, most of all, women…_

Inoue Orihime however was ignorant to his inner most thoughts, his self shame. Had he really just said that aloud? Had that insufferable, emotional women, who was ruled by her 'heart' when she should have been ruled by logic, really affected him that much? Even after so little time, his cold, logical world had melted into warm mush over the idea of emotions, and how they affected a person's thoughts, their actions… their hopes and dreams.

"…Are you afraid of me, women?" Ulquiorra asked in a whisper, stretching out his hand towards her. Wondering what answer she would have for him this time around, though he'd never shown it. Her first answer had caused him to think, such blind faith was frightening to the Espada. All he knew was cold emptiness; but as he felt his hand begin to dissolve into ash, he couldn't help but wonder what it had felt like, to have faith in another being like that. To trust someone.

"I'm not afraid." She replied, Ulquiorra could have sworn he saw tears brimming in her chestnut brown eyes. _Why is she crying…? I do not understand tears, I thought they conveyed sadness… but how could she be sad at my parting? _How he wished he could say the same, he on the other hand was afraid. But, despite the slight twinge of fear which the idea of the nothingness that awaited him caused, he couldn't help but let his lips flicker upwards a bit, not that anyone saw it happen.

"Really…" was his response, watching as the one women he'd ever found interesting stretched out her own hand to clasp his within her own grasp. But fate, it seemed, would not allow him to experience this one last thing. Her touch, it seemed, was forbidden to him; not that he had ever done anything to deserve it. He had been her captor, an empty bastard-like shell that had offered her nothing by bitterness and rejection; this was his punishment for his sins. For his treatment of her.

Just as his face melted into ash, Ulquiorra allowed himself one last thought as the women's face fell, realising she would never reach him before he faded completely. _Maybe I am to fade away this day… but I think I finally understand this 'heart' you spoke of, women… and whilst I may be gone, it shall remain here with you. Thank you, for helping me finally understand… Inoue Orihime._

And now one with the wind, former _Cuatro _Espada Ulquiorra Cifer faded into the wind. Gone, but certainly not forgotten, his actions had scene to it that he would never, ever be forgotten. Not when his heart had been left in the care of the most loving person he'd ever been forced to endure, but it wasn't all bad, in the end. Maybe now, he could finally be at peace.

_Good-bye, women…_

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**Uh... I've never really written something like this before, so if it sucks, I'm sorry and I know it got really cliché and sappy at the end there, my bad for that. **

**Another one-shot dedicated to Stabberz, seeing as I owed him a second one-shot after loosing yet another bet, go me, and I know he's a big UlquHime fan, so I wrote this for him. Personally writing this one-shot has caused the pairing to grow on me, whilst I'm rather indifferent with my Bleach pairings I can defiantly see myself writing more of this pair if I get the right idea for it. **

**The next one-shot will be something that's mulling around in my head for a while and after that I've got a special big one-shot planned, so that will be fun. All kinds of comments/opinion on this piece or either of the previous ones are much loved and I'll be grateful for the support. Until next time, folks, Dobby-san bids you all farewell~**


	4. Zanpakutõ

**And my first ever _Bleach _one-shot gets a make over, enjoy~**

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"So very, _very _bored." Someone, who looked as though they were about fifteen, whined in the large underground cavern. The person in question was lying on their back atop a large rock, head dangling over the edge of the edge so the world looked as though it were upside down. Spiky black hair was swaying every so often, as he frequently attempted to make himself more comfortable atop his perch. With a lazy yawn, he scratched at his chin, the faint hairs on his chin beginning to darken; a beard starting to take shape. Dark amber-brown eyes went for a slight spin in their sockets as the boy saw his friend shake his head at his words.

"No one asked you to come, Isshin," the boy's friend countered from his spot sitting cross legged on the ground in front of him. The black haired boy atop the rock merely snorted at the comment and crossed his arms as his face morphed into a slight frown. _I wonder what creative comeback he'll have for me today… _

"I know _that_, Kisuke," Isshin retorted, slightly annoyed at how his friend was content to sit and meditate whilst he was bored, so much so, that he was slowly losing his mind. "But at least this way I can annoy you. After all, my work is never complete, not until I've annoyed you to the fullest of my ability!" He added as an afterthought before propping himself up on his elbows, looking up to scan the rocky area in which the pair had gathered.

…_I give him _way _to much credit. _Urahara Kisuke thought with a bemused smile, shaking his head too and fore. But then he realised what his friend had noticed, a fresh Reiatsu had appeared within the cavern. _Looks like the party just got a little bigger, how fun! _

"It's just Yoruichi," Kisuke, explained in a teasing manner, Isshin had never been very good at trying to tell people apart by Reiatsu alone.

However Kisuke wasn't prepared for the sharp arrival of a foot to the back of his head, in response to his comment. The poor boy was sent crashing across the floor of the cavern, bouncing of the dirt surface comically like some rubber ball, a strained yelp escaping him as he finally came to a halt after crashing into large boulder a few feet on Isshin's right. The dark haired boy trying to bite back his laughter, clutching his sides.

"What the hell do you mean, 'It's just Yoruichi'?" The dark skinned teenage girl snapped, looking agitated as she lowered her foot, frowning deeply as she stomped her foot back down on the ground, folding her arms over her developing chest in defiance. She looked far from amused. Isshin on the other had was the complete opposite, unable to hold back his laughter any longer he erupted into a fit of hysterics at the sight. But the laughter quickly died in his throat when he saw the glare the young noblewomen was giving him, it would have frightened Captains, no doubt. "Something funny, Isshin?"

The aforementioned Shinõ Academy student quickly shook his head. If asked to list the things that scared him most, Isshin would defiantly place an angry Yoruichi near the top of his list. But both of them broke eye contact when they heard the noise of Kisuke clambering to his feet reached their ears.

The poor platinum blond looked complete disorientated, his steely-grey eyes still spinning madly in his head as he tried to catch himself, arms flailing slightly as he sought his balance. Yet, despite his current state he found it in himself to chuckle good naturedly, "My, my, that was an impressive kick, Yoruichi-_sama_~" he sang in a friendly manner, wagging his index finger at her cheekily. The look on her face at the use of the honorific was priceless. But instead of biting back with her own retort, she just huffed as her frown deepened. Had it been anyone other that Urahara Kisuke, they would have been lying in the dirt for that.

With having managed to find his footing, Kisuke smoothed out the robes of his academy uniform, the white and blue male uniforms he and Isshin wore, were a stark contrast to those of Yoruichi's red and white robes. But after a moment he realised he was missing something, something that he shouldn't have been missing. Scratching the back of his head, an air of puzzlement about him, eyes darting about the small clearing as he tried to locate that which he'd lost.

"Ah, there it is, trying to escape me once again no doubt~!" The blond exclaimed as he trotted over to where his Zanpakutõ lay. Bending down into a crouch, he picked it up, examined it carefully, it certainly was a fine piece of craftsmanship; with its oval guard, pitch black hilt-wrapping, and perfect steel blade. _Why can't I learn your name…? _Kisuke thought to himself with a sad smile, running a hand along smooth blade. Sighing, he stood from his crouch, wondering were he was going wrong.

"You're _still _trying to learn your Zanpakutõ's name?" Yoruichi asked in a disbelieving fashion, a slightly smirk playing across his lips. Kisuke knew her better however, her taunting was merely a way of getting back at him for his use of the suffix when addressing her earlier. Something he knew all to well she hated.

But that didn't stop him, "Do _you _know the name of your Zanpakutõ?" He shot back, causing Yoruichi to bite her tongue. Kisuke had her there, in fact, out of the large group of friends they were apart of, only one person so far had been able to learn the name of their Zanpakutõ.

"Nope, but I have!" Isshin boasted from his spot atop his rock as he pointed a thumb at himself, a large crooked grin stretched across his face. Kisuke merely chuckled at his friends cockiness whilst Yoruichi shook her head, rolling her eyes. _Typical... _

"You learnt in by pure accident," the Shihõin noblewomen stated with a slight snort. A cat-like grin appearing on her lips, a twinkle flashing in her golden eyes as Isshin recoiled backwards slightly, as though she'd slapped him full force in the face with something very hard, and very unpleasant. But he'd be damned if he let her get away with taunting him like _that_. No one could beat him!

"I most certainly did not!" He retorted hotly, looking rather offended by accusation. "I learnt my Zanpakutõ's name out of pure skill, for I am, Isshin the skilful!" He patted the hilt of said sword for emphasis as it hung from the sash around his waist. "Me 'n _Engetsu _have bond you'll never understand, _Yoru-hime_!"

Kisuke chuckled in amusement as he watched Yoruichi Shunpõ onto the rock beside Isshin, the pair of them squabbling like a pair or six yeas would over a the last piece of candy. If anything, he was surprised it had taken them so long to find something to argue over, usually they'd have already been through two arguments by this point. The amusement didn't last long however as, just like always, the pair of them dragged him into their squabble, leaving him caught in the crossfire.

"Tell her, Kisuke," Isshin demanded of his best friend in a whinny voice, startling the young blond, who wasn't exactly sure what he was suppose to say. Sure, he and Isshin had know each other their entire afterlives but if he didn't side with Yoruichi, she'd most certainly beat into the dust for it later. Decisions, decisions... "Isshin the Skilful is the greatest Shinigami in our year, am I right or am I right?"

_Why must I always be stuck in the middle…?_ He thought to himself as the gears in his mind set to work in churning out an answer that would allow him to remain natural. After a while, he thought he'd come up with something, it wasn't great, but if it got him out of his current situation, he didn't care all that much. "What does my opinion matter?" He questioned as he waved the question away with his hand, as though it was not but a pesky fly. "After all, I am but a humble genius trying to make his way in the world."

Though he wasn't sure, Kisuke was pretty sure he heard Isshin mutter something along the lines of 'Humble my ass', but he cared not for the comment, simply opting to lean against the rock that just so happened to be next to him. _Score one for Kisuke~! _He though smugly as the pair began to bicker without him once more.

"Listen, Isshin, learning your Zanpakutõ's name because of a life and death situation is not skill, it's pure luck!" That one got Isshin to shut up. Kisuke couldn't help but shake his head as he watched his black haired friend open and close his mouth silently, no words to be found.

"Why must my friends doubt me so, _Engetsu_?" Isshin wailed once he found his voice again, now hugging his Zanpakutõ to him as though his life depended on it. But as he continued to wail, a thought suddenly struck him, going silent faster than Kisuke could snap his fingers. "Wait, say that last part again," he instructed, becoming unusually serious for once in his life, this was never good.

_What's going through his head now? _Kisuke asked himself before the same thought that had struck Isshin him like a elbow to the face, his face paling as he worked out where this was going._ Oh shiiiii- _

Isshin seemed to have realised that Kisuke had caught on. Because a second later he was soaring through the air towards him, hilt of his sword slide into the sheath, grasping the blade roughly were real hilt would be. A deafening battle cry ran throughout the cavern, "Cut the clouds_, Engetsu!_" He boomed just in time for his friends to cover their eyes before the sudden appearance of light blinded all those present. Isshin's Reiatsu pale blue Reiatsu sparking around him, rising at a frightening rate for an academy student.

When Kisuke lowered his now trembling arms, he saw Isshin smirking at him, holding a what appeared to be nothing more than a double ended _katana_ sword, the hexagonal hand guard now at either end of the long hilt connecting the two, slightly curved blades. A strand of little blue cloth seemed to be wrapped around the middle of the hilt, between its wielder's hands, fluttering slightly as it pulled away from the red wrapped hilt.

"Isshin, what are you doing?" Kisuke asked, slightly fearful of the mad glint in his friends eyes. But in response to his question, Isshin's smirk only grew in size. _This isn't going to end well…_

"I'm going to help you learn the name of your Zanpakutõ," Isshin shrugged as though it was the most normal thing in the world to say, his grip on _Engetsu _tightening as he slide into a battle ready stance. Behind him Yoruichi groaned as she shook her head.

"Isshin, you're more tactless than I thought…" she murmured to herself. Though, despite Isshin's complete disregard for tact, she had to admit, this could be quite entertaining when she thought about it. Kisuke still wasn't exactly the bravest person in the face of danger, maybe this would toughen him up a little bit. He could use it, either way.

However, only one thought sprang to Kisuke's usually packed mind; _Run! _And with that thought digested, he took off as fast as he could, any thoughts of using Shunpõ to escape completely forgotten. Isshin hung his head slight as he let out a groan as he watched Kisuke kick up a small dust cloud in his attempts to cover his escape to safety; he hated running after his friend.

"Damn it, Kisuke, stop running like a bitch and get your ass back here!" Isshin roared after his slightly shorter friend, brandishing his Zanpakutõ as he spoke. But when his words had no effect he tore after his friend with annoyed grunt. "What's the matter, I thought you wanted to learn the name of your Zanpakutõ?" He demanded with a bark as he began to catch up. But he knee that even without Shunpõ, in a foot race Kisuke was by far the faster of the pair.

"Well I'm not exactly a fan of this method, in case you didn't notice!" Kisuke fired back, craning his neck round to see how much of distance advantage he had left. Only to find Isshin was gone. _Okay, this is bad...real bad! _

But he quickly spun back around in time to see Isshin take a swing at him from the front, forcing Kisuke to drop to his knees and skid along the ground on his knees in order to avoid being decapitated. But it was far from over as moments later the terrified Shinigami-in-training was forced to throw himself to the left, in order to avoid being sliced in half when another strike, this one from behind, come rushing to his otherwise his defenceless form.

Staggering to his feet, Kisuke took off once more, using the fact his friend was the slower of out of the pair to his advantage. But apparently fate hand no plans to be kind today as he skidded round a large rock and into a dead end. _Not good… _he gulped upon realising he had no time to double back now without charging straight into Isshin. He would actually have to fight his way out... C_rap. _

With another small gulp, Kisuke turned to see Isshin now standing about fifteen feet away. _I'm going to die… _was the only thought that covered it, with his mind reeling and his arms shaking to much to hold his Zanpakutõ properly, he was as good as dead. But the dark haired boy should no signs of backing down, not any time soon, anyway.

"Nowhere to run now, Kisuke!" With that said, Isshin charged. The longer of his two blades aim at his friend, clutching the hilt in both hands like some sort of spear, a determined look etched across his face. But something strange happened at that moment, it was almost as if time itself ground to a halt and Kisuke felt as though he was falling, to where he did not know. He just hoped the landing would be a soft one. After all, what were the odds he would land somewhere worse than his current location? Actually, he didn't want to know that.

* * *

Kisuke groaned as he opened his eyes, only to see the sky above him, cloudless and as beautiful as always. Gaining some courage, the young Shinigami propped himself up on his elbows, gazing around the area. He'd somehow ended up in what appeared to be some sort of, all be it small, feudal Japanese town, and he seemed to be located in some sort abandoned lot. The buildings in the area all seemed rather run down and and beyond repair.

But when he looked to his right he was taken aback when he found a large shack-like building stood before him, in far better condition than its fellows. The modest looking building appeared as though it had two levels to it, a small shed attached to the right side of the house. The white painted walls had long since become covered in muck. Wooden panels bordered up the windows of the second level, the black tiled roof stood out against the otherwise lifeless colour scheme.

_Hmm… _Kisuke stroked him chin slightly as he tried to find out clues as to his location. But a sudden idea went off in his head like a warning siren. _Is this…my Inner World…? It's not exactly what I expected. _He admitted to himself as he scratched the back of his head. _But I guess if I want some answers I'll have to find whoever lives here…_it wasn't like there was anywhere else that looked as though it could support life in the immediate area.

His mind made up. Kisuke took a step towards the large shack. Nothing happened. And Again. Once more, nothing happened. His confidence having grown slightly he took larger, bolder steps towards the shack. When he was close enough he could see a large sign posted above the traditional sliding doors; _'Crimson Candy Shõten', huh? Well I always did like candy… _he allowed himself a small chuckle at the thought before he slide the door open, poking his head inside to scan the room; it was completely bare. Nothing but traditional dark green mats lining the floor. _Uh...now what? _

"Helloooooooooooooo~?" He called out in a childish manner, unable to really think of how else to proceed. But with his head poking into in the main room of the shõten, he failed to notice someone creep up behind him.

"Hello yourself," a husky, seductive voice whispered in his ear, the culprit giving his rear a soft squeeze. Kisuke let out a yelp of surprise, jumping forward into the shop, his hands now placed on his rear, attempting to protect it from any further violation. Spinning around on the spot once he landed, he found himself moving just in time to see the new arrival giggle at him, the sound holding a slightly erotic edge to it.

His eyes, almost, literally leapt out of his head as he saw who it was that had spoken, his jaw going slightly slack. A young women, most likely in her mid twenties leaned against the door frame, the tips of her fingers on her full lips as she stifled more giggle at Kisuke's expense. Long flowing crimson red hair cascaded down her back in waves, a few strands falling down in front of her shoulder, whilst her fringe was swept to the side, hiding her left eye from sight, several gravity defying spikes shooting off to the left alongside her fringe. The other olive green orb was fixed on the young boy, the women's amusement was more than evident in her expresion.

As for her attire, well, to say it was provocative would be a understatement. She seemed to be wearing what looked like a blood red kimono, which she wore rather open as to reveal her rather…_ample_ bosom. Triangular slits cut into her _hakama _just above the knees showed of perfectly smooth, shapely legs. She also had a white obi sash wrapped around her delicate waist and tie in a large bow at the back. Finally there was the matching white, long-sleeved _haori _with a olive green underside that contrasted horribly with her otherwise mainly red and white attire.

_Wow…_was all Kisuke could conjure up in his baffled state. But this women seemed to be enjoying his current state of mind, leaning forward, placing her hands on her knees and displaying her cleavage for him to ogle at, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist taking a peak at her. _This is almost as good as that time Isshin and I sunk into the female student bath house and Yoruichi was- _he quickly shook his head, trying to clear himself of his current train of thought. Now was not the time for that, now matter how utterly perfect Yoruichi's-

No, not now! Turning away slightly, Kisuke tried to hide blush tinting his cheeks, the Shinigami-in-training hanging his head and gazing at the floor. He really hoped he hadn't connected with his soul-cutter sword to the point were it could hear his thoughts yet, that would be utterly horrifying. The again, it wasn't exactly hard to guess what his thoughts were on these days.

But, there would time for those thoughts later...

"My, aren't you just the little pervert?" The women taunted in her seductive voice, knowing all to well what was going through his mind. Her lips curled into a coy smirk, having realised the young boy that would one day become her master, even if he didn't realise it, had returned to ogling her still clearly displayed cleavage. _Boys and sex..._Shaking her head she snapped her fingers in front of his face, drawing his attention and pointing at her own face for emphasis. "Up here, _gaki_."

Kisuke however merely gave a nervous chuckle, a little embarrassed at having so little self-restraint. Twiddling his thumbs as he waited for the women to speak again, but instead she merely brushed past him as sat herself down at a round table, seating herself in a large, lush cushion-chair that looked as though it was somehow made out of crimson silk. A much smaller, much less regal looking cushion, one of plain white colour, had also appeared out of nowhere opposite her; for him to sit on, no doubt. _This really isn't what I was expecting at all..._

"Sit," she commanded unblinkingly, as she stared up at him, that husky hint in her voice still very prominent. The boy instantly did as she commanded and seated himself opposite her. He'd never been able to say no to attractive women, Yoruichi would testify to that. "Tea?" Kisuke just shook his head, he was to nervous to to hold a tea cup at this point, let alone drink something from one.

"Now, Urahara Kisuke, you are here with the intention of obtaining my name, I take it?" Kisuke didn't ask how she knew _his _name, opting to merely nod in response. "Oh right, well, I guess that's to bad, then. 'Cause you ain't getting it."

"Huh?" He would admit, he was taken aback the blunt refusal. But the women merely gave a low chuckle, the sound sent shivers down his spin, this women unnerved him nearly as much as an angry Yoruichi did, and that was saying a lot. _She can refuse to tell me her name? _Nobody had ever told him _that _little detail. Because if someone had, he would have conducted more research before attempting to commune with the spirit.

"You're pathetic, honestly, _gaki._" the women snorted and Kisuke felt his ego take a nasty blow at the words. "You call yourself a genius yet you know nothing about how to obtain a Zanpakutõ's name? And to think I'm stuck with a little pervert like you as my master. Despicable..." she re-framed for stating she was probably an even bigger pervert than him. It wasn't really all that important.

Whilst Kisuke was trying in vain to wrap his head around what was going on, the women seemed to have produced a fan from no where and was now cooling herself with it, a bored expression written across her delicate features. Whilst, in her other hand, she grasped a little orange book, like none he'd ever seen before. Her olive eyes switching back and forth between him and the book every time she finished a new paragraph.

After a few minutes of this, the crimson clad women growled in irritation; she wasn't well known amongst her fellow spirits for her patience. Rolling her eyes, she flicked her little orange book shut, having marked off her place, and tucked it up her sleeve for later, snapping her fan shut a second later and tucking it into the valley between her breasts, that certainty got Kisuke's attention. Much to her chagrin.

"Do I honestly have to spell it out for you?" She demanded, her brow having morphed into a dark frown that didn't really compliment her in the slightest. He'd never been this slow in any of his previous lives, but she couldn't win them all apparently. But it wasn't like she could tell him that; _Dumb Zanpakutõ laws and meaningless __nonsense, it's all completely pointless if you ask me. _

"Listen, _Urahara_," Kisuke noted that the use of his name had been rather forced, she must not have liked him too much. "The partnership between a Shinigami and their Zanpakutõ is a two way deal. In short we need each other, but you're not living up to your end of the deal, and now, I'm punishing you for it. Because you have yet to learn my name it is rather easy for me to withhold my power from you. Just because you got this far doesn't automatically make you worthy of wielding my power and calling yourself my master. You still have to _earn _that right."

"And how do I do that?" Kisuke asked, excited by the idea of new knowledge. After all, whoever held the most knowledge was the person that truly held the power, it's what made a Shinigami that knew the name of their sword so much stronger than one who didn't. Knowledge always tipped the balance in some shape or form. Knowledge was power.

But instead of having his question answered, the crimson haired seductress wiped her fan out from between her breasts and threw it at his head. The closed object hit him right between the eyes and sent him toppling backwards, arms flying up into the air as he collapsed in an amusing manner. _That was..._pleasant_, I think. _But whilst he lay there, completely dazed on the floor, she sprang up out of her cushion-chair and slammed her hands down onto the table, leaning over the wooden surface to glare at him. Even in his disoriented state, Kisuke couldn't help but grin as he saw her breasts giggle slightly with the sudden movement. _Maybe this won't be so bad, if she stops throwing stuff at me, that is. _

"Don't interrupt me, _gaki_!" The women spat, throwing her orange book at him when when she realised he was paying more attention to her breasts than her, again. Sure, she _loved _attention, especially the attention of the male spirits, but for once in her life she was trying to be serious, damn it! Kisuke however just shook himself off before seating himself back down where he had been previously.

"Someone's a little cranky," he observed with a slight grin as he picked up her fan used it himself, however the spirit didn't seemed annoyed at him. On the contrary, she was giving him a coy smile, falling back into her seat with a content look on her face, her arms spread over the back of the cushion. Finally the brat was showing some backbone. _Was that some sort of test…? _But before he could ponder the conundrum further, the women began to speak.

"Congratulations, _gaki_," the women stated as she summoned more plush pillows with a wave of her, placing her feet up. "You're starting to get what I'm taking about."

"And what exactly would that be?"

"A person's soul is reflected in their sword, Urahara Kisuke," she began with a slight smirk, curling the ends of her crimson hair around her index finger in a lazy manner. "All I see reflected in that shell of a sword you carry around is fear. When you dodge, you're afraid of getting killed. When you attack, you're afraid of killing someone. Even when you stand up and protect those you care about, you're afraid of letting them die. That shell you carry around does indeed speak to me: but only of pure, undiluted fear!

"Fear has no place on the battle field, Urahara Kisuke. Prove to me you are not afraid to fight. Prove to me you are not afraid to kill. But most of all, prove to me you are not afraid to die. Then…then I will divulge my name to you!" She declared, her words were harsh, but Kisuke knew them to be true; he was a coward. And the Gotei Thirteen did not want, nor need, cowards in their ranks, it was time to prove what he could really do.

"What do you want me to do?" Kisuke asked, slightly nervous over the answer. The spirit hadn't exactly been the most helpful so far, or the friendliest for that matter. After all, which Zanpakutõ threw things at their user? He'd never heard of _that _happening before.

"It's really quite simple, _gaki_," there was that nickname again, but it was said with a slight hint of affection this time around. Clearly she was happy with the fact he was at least willing to _try _and prove he wasn't a coward. "It's time to stand up and be strong! Stand up and fight, _gaki_!" The women declared as she slammed a fist down on the surface of the table. Things slowly fading to white as he words began to fade but nothing but a faint whisper in the distance.

* * *

The next thing Kisuke knew, he was back in the cavern with Isshin charging him down. But instead of the overwhelming urge to runaway, like before, now he wanted to stand and prove himself. He wanted, nay, he _needed_ to know the name of his Zanpakutõ. Like he had concluded in his Inner World; knowledge was power.

Moving quickly he set his feet in a basic defensive stance, which their sensei had taught them long ago, before grasping the hilt of his sword as tightly as he could with both hands, and swinging it upwards with all his might.

A deafening _clang _rang throughout the chamber as metal clashed against metal, a horrified expression on Isshin's face. Kisuke had blocked him. But despite the fact the blond had blocked him, the pressure Isshin was putting behind his own blade would cause his friend's arms to buckle quickly enough. But using all the strength he had, the platinum blond thrust upwards once more, catching his friend off balance with the sudden move to offence. But it was exactly what the dark haired Shinigami had wanted.

Jerking his left hand forward, Isshin brought his second blade hurtling around in a large arc, catching his shorter friend across the stomach. Kisuke yelped in pain as he felt the cold steel scathe his gut, ripping his dirt covered robes and leaving a small trickle of red liquid behind. Screwing up his face however, the grey-eyed Shinigami wasn't done, clutching his cut with his left hand he thrust the end of his hilt downward with his right, knocking the hilt of Isshin's own blade away. The move left an opening for Kisuke to spin on the spot ramming his bony elbow into his opponents face.

Isshin staggered back a few feet, in order to catch his balance, spitting out a woad of blood, his teeth stained red. But despite it, a large grin sprung across his unshaven face, "Now that's what I'm talking about!" Taking _Engetsu _in his right hand like a javelin, taking aim with great care, he was surprised to see Kisuke was also ginning. After a brief second, he threw his right arm forward, releasing his grip on then hilt and catching the cloth appendage. The gleaming blade shot threw the air, the cloth now in Isshin's grasp seemingly endless now. But, second before it would have impaled Kisuke, the boy disappeared in burst of Shunpõ.

"Shit!" Isshin declared as _Engetsu _buried himself in the ground a few feet away. Only for Kisuke to appear behind him almost instantly, a stinging sensation now nagging at him as he stuttered forward an inch. But, the cut was sallow and wouldn't be enough to stop 'Isshin the Skilful'. Jerking his his right arm back, her twisted on the spot so his sword would not only return to him, but spin with his movements. Hopefully catching the blond off guard. But much to his surprise, the shorter of the pair dropped to his knees, the tip of _Engetsu's _right blade missing his nose by a millimetres.

_Here goes something… _Kisuke thought as he threw his right hand up, finger pointed at Isshin; "Hadõ number four: _Byakurai_!" A pale beam of crackling blue light erupted from his finger and rocketed to Isshin so fast, he forced to utilize his Shunpõ to avoid being blasted by the Kidõ; even if it was relatively weak, it'd still hit home like a bitch come morning.

Soon, Isshin reappeared directly above Kisuke, swing downwards, as if to behead him. But much like he had expected, his blond friend was faster enough to block him, lashing out with a kick to the gut in response. But the black haired teen jumped back out of reach before the attack connected. Though he was smirking, pleased with his friends progress, he had to admit, he was a little worried that Kisuke still hadn't mange to call on his Zanpakutõ by this point. He'd almost killed him at least twice already.

The pair took a few steps away from each other, amber-brown bore into steely-grey as they waited to see who would blink first. Both taking the brief lag in action to catch their breath. _Clearly_, Isshin realised, finally understanding what he had to do to force Kisuke's Zanpakutõ to show itself, _I've been to lax with him. Time to kick this up a notch! _Grinning, he took _Engetsu _in both hands, making sure his grip was as tight as possible.

'_Good work, Urahara,_' a husky voice whispered in the back of his mind, but this time he still found himself inside the cavern, it appeared as though he was the only one who could hear her. '_Maybe, and I stress the maybe, you're not as pathetic as I first thought. I might be able to help turn you into a half decent Shinigami._'

_Well, that's something now, isn't it? _He asked the spirit in his head with a audible chuckle. Isshin merely looked at him as though he was mad, but after a moment he realised what was going on and decided that he might not need his last resort after all...But, it was never a bad thing to make sure, it was time to give Kisuke that one last push in the right direction.

"_Getsuga Tenshõ_!" Isshin roared, jerking the left blade of his sword forward, taking on an eerie pale blue glow as the energy began to flow towards the tip. As the sword completed its arc, the pale blue energy erupted from the tip like a cannon ball, heading on a direct collision course with Kisuke.

'_Now, Urahara, release me!_'

_And how do I do that?_ Kisuke demanded in his head, he was beginning to panic again at the idea of facing his friends strongest attack. _Crap, oh crap, OH CRAP! _

'_Stay calm, _gaki_!_' The women ordered him, his attention suddenly snapping back to what he had to do. '_Now, cheesy as this might sound I need you to l__ook into your heart now, _gaki_, don't question me, just do it!_' She barked, having realised some smart-arse retort was coming. '_T__here you will find my release command, and my name is-_'

"Awaken_, Benihime_!" Kisuke roared, making an upward sweeping motion with his own blade, crimson energy erupted from the tip of the Zanpakutõ. The attack ripped through the air and connected with the _Getsuga Tenshõ_ with such force that both attacks instantly cancelled each another out with such a large explosion, tearing up the training ground floor around them. Both of the combatants were thrown from their feet,landing with loud groans as they were temporarily deafened by the sound of the explosion.

When Kisuke finally recovered, he propped himself up on his elbows once more, looking up to see Isshin rolling about the floor, laughing his head off like a manic. The majority of the surrounding rocks had now become but mere rubble and there was a giant crater between the pair, the edges cracked and spider webbing their away towards them.

"I knew it!" Isshin stated in between chokes of laughter, tears leaking from his eyes as he held his sides. The newly resealed _Engetsu _lay on the ground next to him, the sheath on his other side. "I knew it!" He cried again in triumph, before he yelped in pain as Yoruichi kicked him whilst he was down. "So…cruel…Yoru-hime,"

"Are you alright, Kisuke?" She asked once she reached him, using Shunpõ to cover the distance in the blink of an eye, she'd always been the fastest of the trio. He nodded slowly before accepting the hand she offered him, smiling to himself at her touch. "You're a complete mess…" she sighed slightly, tapping her right index finger against her check, striking a pose with her left arm lying across her waist, one hip tipped skyward. Shaking her heard at the now muck covered Kisuke, but she couldn't repress a smile, though she wouldn't admit it, she was proud of him.

But he ignored any further words from his friend. Instead he bent down to pick up his Zanpakutõ, which was still in _Shikai _form. He gently picked it up, handling it as though it was going to explode in his face if he handled it incorrectly. Then again, no doubt the spirit would throw stuff at him again if her miss treated her sword form, something he wanted to avoid.

'_That's __Because I will, _gaki' came the sing-song voice of Benihime in his head. '_Now r__emember, _gaki_, I'm _the _crimson__ princess and I expect you to treat me with the utmost respect and care. Unless of course you'd rather I drag you back into your Inner World and pound the living daylights out of you._' Kisuke however paid no heed to the self important thoughts of his Zanpakutõ as he examined her new form.

The blade itself was that of medium size, a U-shaped decoration had replaced the guard, stretching the first three or four inches of the blade itself; a flower petal design where it met the string-guard, red decorative string wrapped thrice around the hilt. There was a gentle decorative bend to the hilt which was tipped with a crimson tassel. It was beautiful but deadly, just like the spirit within, and several other women Kisuke happened to have the pleasure of knowing.

"It's a beautiful _Shikai_," Yoruichi complemented, having noticed Kisuke was absorbed in his observations of the sword. Now only if she could learn the name of _her _sword.

"That she is…" he replied with a gentle smile as he looked up at his friend, a playful glint in his eyes. "The spirit could be a little nicer though."

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**Howdy folks, hope you enjoyed this revision as much as I do. A lot of the little homages to the actual canon story remain, if you pay attention, including the shop in Urahara's Inner World being one of them. There's still a few good other ones as well, see if you can spot them all, also a few _Naruto _references for those of you playing at home~**

**'Til next time, Dobby-san bids you all farewell~ **


	5. Nakama, Right?

**And it's shot number five! Enjoy, peeps~ **

* * *

Arisawa Tatsuki sat on the grass at Karakura river bank. The lush grass damp from the night before, not that she cared, really. Off in the distance she could he the sound of gravel crunching as someone walked across it, but her chocolate brown eyes were too focused on the soft flow of the water in front of her to see who it was. The world around her had no real meaning whenever she ended up here.

So much had happened of late, so much she would rather just forget. It hurt to think about some of it, well, nearly all of it really, but she couldn't bring herself to stop mulling over everything in her head. She'd been lied too, avoided, and worst of all, abandoned and left on the sidelines by those she trusted the most.

Sighing, she ran a hand through her short, spiky black hair, which was slightly damp with sweat, having paused in her morning run to take a break by the riverside. Having lost track of the time a while ago.

"I don't know how, but I knew you'd be here." Turning her head, she saw the one person who she didn't want to see at that moment in time; Kurosaki Ichigo. The orange haired boy must have gotten a hair cut or something, because last time she'd see him before he had disappeared to fight the good fight once again, his hair had been shoulder length, not to mention messier than usual. Now however, it looked the same as always did and-

_Did he shrink or something? One minute he looks taller than usual now he's back to looking like normal... _Shaking her head, she turned away from him with a slight grunt, ignoring him as he sat down on the grass next to her, dressed in nothing but baggy sweats and a hoodie, much like herself. But as the minutes slowly started to rack up, Tatsuki realised he hadn't said anything since he sat down.

"What do you want, Ichigo?" She demanded of her so-called best friend since childhood; her _nakama. _So much for that theory. "I thought I wasn't suppose to concern myself with you anymore. That nothing you do these days has anything to do with me." Okay, Ichigo realised he deserved that one. He'd pushed away one of the people that cared most about him in the whole world, he should have known she'd be upset, hell that was putting it lightly.

"Well…that part of my life is over now." was all he could really come up with. _I probably sound like a real idiot right about now. _Tatsuki just snorted in response, making to stand up. But she was caught but what he said next: "I'm callin' in my minute, Tats."

The karate expert looked back at her old training partner, a slight look of surprise painted across her face. Neither of them had made good on _that _promise in nearly three years. When she had found him grieving, at the very same spot all those years ago, Tatsuki had promised him that no matter how busy they got, how old they got or how fart apart they drifted, all Ichigo need to do was ask for just one minute of her time, and she'd give him that time without a second thought. He, in turn, had promised her the exact same thing.

But even if it was an old promise, one they'd made when they were kids fallowing the death of Ichigo's mother, it was still a promise. And Tatsuki kept her promises.

Growling, she sat herself back down next to Ichigo, looking at the sports watch she wore to stress how much she could care less for what he had to say to her, however a ghost of a smile flittered across Ichigo's face. She'd stayed. He could still fix this; but it'd take some work, a _lot _of work.

"I'm not gonna' bother apologizing to you, Tats. It'd be pointless, and we both know it." _Damn straight, _she thought. But in the back of her mind, part of her knew the real reason Ichigo didn't have to apologize was because she'd already forgiven him. It was Ichigo for crying out loud, despite appearances she could never stay mad at him. He'd done what he had because he must have had one hell of a reason, it wasn't in him to hurt those he cared about.

"But I do want to explain myself to you," That's _exactly _what she really wanted to hear. "...you once said I was the most selfless asshole this side of equator. But I guess you couldn't have been more wrong about, 'cause I'm probably the most selfish bastard you know."

"And what does _that _have to do with anything?" Tatsuki demanded, not having the faintest clue where Ichigo was going with this line of thought. All she knew was right now, she wasn't impressed. But she became more confused that anything when he replied in an even voice; "Everything."

After that Ichigo fell silent, trying to figure out how to word what he had to say. _I really should have thought about this first, _he sighed burring his face in his hands, taking an exasperated sigh, scowl prominent as ever when he finally turned to look at her. _Why is this so damn hard?_

"You see, Tats, the reason I didn't tell you anything was because I was being selfish." Tatsuki just crocked an eyebrow, looking at him as if to say; '_No shit, dumbass_'. "Everybody assumes I was hiding everything from you and the others because I was trying to protect you. Which I guess I was, but I was also trying to protect myself."

That made absolutely _no _sense to Tatsuki. If Ichigo really was trying to protect himself then why did he go out and fight those guys in the first place? It would have just been easier to stay at home and hide away from the world, surely. But Ichigo wasn't like that, he'd never back down from a fight. There was more to this than Tatsuki could make out, shame that whatever it was wasn't as obvious as the fact itself.

"You see…shit; this is gonna' sound so fuckin' cliché."

"Just spit it out already, knucklehead! You've already gone over your time-limit." Whilst the first part was said force, the second part was more joking, Tatsuki mocking him and the dumb figure of speech they used to call on that old promise of theirs. It was a good start at least.

"I didn't want you to get hurt…because if you did, I don't know what I would have done!" Ichigo shouted out of the blue. His face morphed into a deep frown before he groaned, burring his face in his hands again. Meanwhile Tatsuki was looking at him like he had sprouted a second head. Had _Ichigo_, the scowling Kurosaki delinquent really just said that? Contact the government, the apocalypse had come early.

"You mind trying to run that one by me again, Ichigo?" In response the young man merely mumbled into his hands, he'd never been good at this crap. Tatsuki should know that, surely she realised how hard this was for him, yet she was asking him to repeat himself? Why him? Why did he have to care so much… "Ichigo, hey it's alright, I-"

"No, it's not." he cut her off, trying to look anywhere expect into her eyes. "I lied to you and cast you aside because I was scared that if you got hurt because of me then _my _life would never be the same again." Now, he turned to look at her. The look on his face was unlike anything Tatsuki had ever seen before, it made her feel a little weird, usually Ichigo was an open book to her.

"You've been such a huge part of my life for so long, Tatsuki. An important part," he added with a little hint of sheepishness, he'd never felt so awkward in his entire life. They were just friends who had had a huge fight was all, it wasn't like he was confessing his love for her, he didn't love her in _that _way…right? Of course not! At least he hoped he didn't, things were awkward enough right now as it was. _Not to mention Tats would punch my lights out…_

Shaking his head to clear his muddled thoughts, he got himself back on track. "You're my best friend, Tats. And if I lost you, especially if it was because of me, or something I was involved, I don't think I could forgiven myself. I don't want to live with that pain, Tats. Not again."

Silence consumed them after his words. Ichigo turning away to glare at the surface of the water. _Things had been so much less awkward in my head. _Tatsuki, on the other hand, had her eyes trained on her orange haired friend; she'd know what he had meant before, she would have to be an idiot not to, or Keigo, but that wasn't the point. And whilst part of her was angry with him for playing the self blame thing, yet again, she couldn't help but feel a smile creep onto her face when she realised just how much weight she had in his life. It was a odd, yet nice feeling. Maybe they were _nakama _after all.

"Why did you tell me all this, you must have know I might not listen to you, right?" Tatsuki muttered after a while, not sure what else she could say. _Damn, this is a little awkward now._

"Because that's what you do when something important to you is in danger," Ichigo said without a second thought, recalling something his father had once told him about how you could tell a relationship was not meant to last unless one of the parties involved was always willing to stand up and fight for what they had. Well, that's what he was doing now. "When something you hold dear is in danger, you fight to protect it. Don't you?"

Tatsuki just nodded her agreement, feeling that to say something would ruin the moment. The pair of childhood friends merely turned away from each other, staring out at the river. Both rather content with the way the conversation had turned out. Despite the awkwardness to boot. They continued to sit there for what felt like hours, before, finally. Tatsuki dragged herself back to her feet. Smoothing out her ruffled and damp clothes, she frowned that a still seated Ichigo.

"Get up, you dumbass!" She commanded, delivering a soft kick to the side of the head, just like she'd done earlier that year when she had been the one to find Ichigo sulking at this very spot. "I've not finished my morning run and I left my _iPod _at home, I could use the company."

Grunting in response, Ichigo hauled himself to his feet, scowling at his tomboy of a best friend. But shaking his head, he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Fine, it's not like I've got anything better to do right now." He gave a weak shrug and made to start walking up then grassy slope before an idea struck him; "On one condition, though."

"Huh?" Tatsuki replied dumbly, looking up at him, even if he had shrunk back to his original height, he still dwarfed her by a good eight inches. Holding her arms over her chest she frowned back at him, but she couldn't resist the slight smirk pulling at the corners of her lips. "I'm listening, _Kurosaki_."

"Well, _Arisawa_," he returned the smirk, two could play at that game. "I hear the arcade got the new _Tekken _game in and it has been a while since I kicked your ass at anything, you up for a few rounds?" he challenged her, knowing her pride wouldn't allow her to refuse. Yep, he still had a lot of work to do, but he could fix their friendship now. He was sure of it.

"You can only beat me because you cheat!" Tatsuki cried up at him, realising he was now walking up the slope without her. Hands still stuffed into his pockets as he shock his head at her, still smirking cockily.

Gazing down at her smugly he just asked; "How the hell, exactly, can anyone cheat at _Tekken_, Tats?" He'd forgotten how fun it was to rile her up after so long. _Guess it's true, you don't realise what you have until you lose it. Or almost, _he corrected himself.

"Just shut up and start running before _I _kick _your _ass from here to freakin' Shinjuku!" And with that the real trash talk began, the pair jogging down the street together as they swapped barbs. Just like the good old days…

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**I don't know about you guys, but I like this one. Ichigo and Tatsuki's relationship, in general, is always something I've found interesting in _Bleach_. Not to mention I was rather disappointed after Kubo skipped out on there make-up scene after their huge fight with the time skip, so here's my version of how it would go. Also, Kubo can reference _Tekken, _so can I! Sadly, I don't own either of them... **

**Anyway, I guess this is another one of the 'see it how you want to see it' one-shots, so go with whatever you like. If you'd rather see it as pure friendship threw and threw though, then by all means, be my guest. Or you want to look at it as the build up to an Ichi/Tats relationship, that's cool too. I can't tell you, nor will I try, how to interpret my writing, I like to try and write my one-shots so they can be seen from various angles; leave some wiggle room if you will. **

**This one-shot will be the last one before the new year, but I plan to return shortly after. Don't hold me to that however, as I have exams coming up that I need to study for. 'Til next time, toodles~**


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